The Pentagon says the US State Department has approved the possible sale of Javelin anti-tank missiles and launch units to Ukraine, at an estimated cost of 47 million US dollars.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said the weapons would be used to protect Ukrainian soldiers and civilians. But Russia said the US decision would encourage those who support the conflict in Ukraine to use force. The Pentagon said in a statement on Thursday the proposed sale would not alter the military balance in the region. Since Moscow's annexation of Crimea in 2014, Ukraine and Russia have been at loggerheads. The war in eastern Ukraine between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian government forces has killed more than 10 thousand people in three years.